Friday, November 23, 2012

Android Community

Android Community

Happy Thanksgiving from Android Community

Posted: 22 Nov 2012 10:46 AM PST

Today is the day we all get to spend time with friends and family, enjoy great food and beverages, watch football, and then go to sleep in time for the early morning Black Friday shopping. Here at Android Community we have plenty to be thankful for on this Thanksgiving 2012. There’s so many things and people we are thankful for, but below we’ll just mention a few that deserve the shout out.

Last year we took the 5 things we are thankful for regarding Android toys, ROMs, games, and of course our favorite devices. This year, we want to mention things on a more personal level during these wonderful holidays. Of course we’ll start with you guys — the readers! Not to get too mushy mushy but without you guys enjoying the news, commenting on your favorite new apps, and sharing your thoughts we wouldn’t be where we are today. You guys and girls are not just the people that keep us in a steady job and enjoying our passion for Android, but our extended network of friends as well. While we enjoy playing with all these new Android phones and tablets, games and more, we want to make sure you understand that you mean a lot to us!

Next we’d like to take this moment to thank everyone that we work with day in, and week out. Without you we wouldn’t be able to do what we love. We are thankful for and would like to thank all of our sponsors (you know who you are) because we are glad to share a common passion for Android, and its news. Without you this wouldn’t work, and we're glad to help you reach your consumer base as well.

We’d like to also take this moment to thank all the PR groups and individuals we work with each and every single day. You guys are truly the hard working, up all hours, unsung heroes that keep our gadget and Android obsession filled with new smartphones and tablets to share with the world in all of our Reviews. Then under the hood and behind the scenes we'd like to thank the UK2Group for sponsoring our CDN for the past 2 years.

We’ve had tons of giveaways here at Android Community, and we’d like to thank everyone that makes those special moments possible. Being able to share great devices, Tegra powered tablets and more with our readers is truly something we enjoy. Expect more giveaways to come too by the way. Then of course everyone involved in the huge events all year long. From CES (coming up in just over a month) to Mobile World Congress, Pepcom, Google I/O and more. Those events are always a learning experience. The groups at Pepcom and ShowStoppers deserve a shout out for keeping us connected in a more personalized way at these events. Giving us tech and Android lovers our own room to see everything these events have to offer. We’re excited for CES 2013 and can’t wait to work with you all again!

Last but certainly not least I’d like to thank all my teammates that make us strive. The bosses that put up with us, the newcomers that have a passion for Android, all of our new writers both here at Android Community, and our sister site SlashGear. Being able to enjoy writing about all things Android, and gadgets in general, while sharing our unique interests and mindsets is truly what makes working with you all daily an absolute blast.

We still love all of those developers that make Android what it truly is, and that is the best mobile operating system and community in the world. We hope you all have a full stomach, enjoy your family, and don’t freeze to death in those 4:00 AM Black Friday lines. Drop us a comment below and let us know what you’re thankful for!

Samsung Galaxy Camera Coming To Canada December 7

Posted: 22 Nov 2012 08:33 AM PST

The Samsung Galaxy Camera is already available in the US and Europe, but folks in Canada have been left out in the cold. Well, it turns out they are receiving the Android-based camera in Canada soon. In fact, it’s only a couple of weeks away, hitting the market on December 7 of this very year. It’s coming just in time for the holiday shopping madness.



The Galaxy Camera comes with the performance of Android 4.1 and the high quality lenses of a point and shoot camera. It also comes with 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity for sharing your photos quickly. No more copying photos to your computer and sharing them later. With the Galaxy Camera, you can share it instantly, just like you would from a cell phone.

The camera part of the Galaxy Camera is solid. It features a 21x super long zoom lens and a super-bright 16M BSI CMOS sensor. It comes with a series of 15 default modes and settings that help users take more professional photos. Don’t forget about the GALAXY Camera’s 4.8″ HD Super ClearTouch Display.

For more info on the Galaxy Camera, make sure to read our review here. If you’re in Canada, and in the market for a new camera, December 7 may be the day you’ve been waiting for.

[via NewsWire]

Samsung Galaxy Stratosphere II quietly goes on sale at Verizon

Posted: 22 Nov 2012 07:27 AM PST

Usually, when a new device hits the market, there are all kinds of stories and general excitement. Well, apparently, the Samsung Galaxy Stratosphere II didn’t get that memo, because it has hit Verizon’s website ultra quietly. Interested buyers can grab the qwerty keyboard toting phone right now from Verizon, even if they probably had no idea it exists.



The Stratosphere II is available for $129.99 with a new 2-year agreement. If contracts aren’t your thing, you can grab the phone for $449.99, but that seems crazy expensive for what the phone offers. If you’re not ready to give up on the physical keyboard and are looking for a solid Android phone, this could be the one for you to go with.

The Samsung Galaxy Stratosphere II comes equipped with Android 4.0.4 out of the box. It also features a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and a 4-inch Super AMOLED display. It also feature NFC and is ISIS-ready. It also comes with 5MP rear-facing camera and all the standard stuff.

Time will tell if this phone makes a splash through Verizon. It comes with fast 4G LTE data speeds, which should make users happy. It looks pretty solid, and some users still love having physical buttons to type on. While it’s not exactly top-of-the-line, it is does have some solid specs. If you’re tried one, hit the comments section below and let us know what you think.

B&N NOOK HD and NOOK HD+ available in the UK

Posted: 22 Nov 2012 06:24 AM PST

Barnes & Noble’s tablets are ready to go head to head with Apple’s iPad and iPad mini in the UK. The tablets use the latest version of B&N’s customized version of Android. This customized version of the OS replaces the standard Android, which could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your preferences. Either way, these tablets come in at a competitive price point, and they could shake up the tablet market in the UK.



The NOOK video store is not available in the UK yet, but you can still get access to B&N’s books, magazines and apps. The video portion should go live at some point next month. B&N has 2.5 million books available on the service, so you can certainly get your reading on while you wait for the video store to launch.

The NOOK HD, which has a 7-inch display and a 1.3GHz dualcore processor, is priced at £159 for the 8GB version and £189 for the 16GB version. Both price points are available in white or grey. It also comes with an impressive 1440 x 900. For those keeping score, that’s higher than the iPad mini. It also comes with a microSD slot.

The NOOK HD+ has a full HD 9-inch touchscreen and a 1.5GHz dualcore processor. Barnes & Noble is offering a 16GB model for £229 and a 32GB for £269. Like the NOOK HD, it has an expandable memory slot, WiFi b/g/n, Bluetooth, and stereo speakers. Both tablets are available online and at many retailers such as John Lewis, Argos, Asda, Dixons, Sainsbury, Waitrose, Blackwell's, and Foyles.

[via SlashGear]

2.5 year old Android bug finally being fixed

Posted: 22 Nov 2012 05:34 AM PST

A long time ago, in a galaxy far away, a user reported a bug involving not being able to resolve a hostname on a local domain. Other users started coming forward with the same problem, but that seemed to be the end of it. Then, 2.5 years later, a Google employee announced that the next Android update will address the issue. That’s something to thankful for.



The problem is known as Issue 8030. This unsung bug is not an issue for most users. Still, just because the issue is not widespread, does not mean it’s not a tremendous annoyance for those who have the problem. The issue is explained by code.Google.com: "When connected on WiFi to a network which specifies a domain name, hostnames in that domain do not resolve without appending the domain to the hostname."

Google has remained silent on the issue, but out of the blue, a Google employee jumped in the comment thread and addressed the problem. "The fix for this has gone in thanks to Kevin Tang. It will be available in the next major release," said the employee. It’s a thanksgiving miracle!

Users were hit with a mix of relief and annoyance at how long it took to get the fix to happen. Either way, at least the fix is coming, and the Google employee even jumped in and explained the delay a little bit: “Guys, it was a matter of prioritization and resources. We don't have people to put on every requested feature and we certainly were not idle during this time. I apologize it took so long. I can't say what the next version will be (neither know it nor can discuss it) but it will be after 4.2, which has already gone out.”

[via SlashGear]

Google vs. Microsoft patent trial wraps up with big claims

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 02:46 PM PST

Hearings in the patent lawsuit between Google and Microsoft are winding down, and with the final day of testimony came one whopper of a claim from Motorola. Yesterday, Motorola sent expert Michael Dansky to the stand, who testified that Microsoft stands to make as much as $94 billion through 2017 with the allegedly illegal use of Motorola patents. His estimate includes products like the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Surface, but Reuters points out that Dansky didn’t say how far back he was going to arrive at his estimate.


If accurate, that’s certainly a lot of money, which is why Google and Motorola are taking Microsoft to court. Google is asking that Microsoft be forced to pay $4 billion per year for using its patents. Microsoft has a much different value in mind: the Windows 8 maker thinks that just $1 million a year is a suitable amount. There’s a pretty big discrepancy between those two numbers, so now it comes down to US District Judge James Robert, who will spend the next few weeks determining just how much Microsoft should pay for Motorola’s video and wireless technology patents.

This is a big case for Google, considering that a major reason it paid $12.5 billion for Motorola was so it would have have access to the company’s vast patent portfolio. This case against Microsoft should give us an idea of whether or not that was a good purchase for Google. If it isn’t awarded a high royalty by Robert, that might mean that Google won’t be able to rely on Motorola’s patent portfolio as much as it was planning on, regardless of how massive that portfolio may be.

Meanwhile, patents battles like this have been raging all across the world. Motorola and Microsoft certainly aren’t strangers to patent battles – neither are a number of Android manufacturers and, of course, Apple. Keep it tuned here to Android Community, as we’ll update you on this case once we have more information!

Marvel’s Avengers Initiative hits Android and Tegra devices, we go hands-on

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 02:22 PM PST

Marvel fans, get ready for some Hulk smash. Earlier today the brand new Avengers Initiative game went live on Google Play, and it’s quite amazing. Though this game is a blast and works with multiple high-powered Android smartphones and tablets, those with a Tegra 3 device will really enjoy all that Marvel has to offer. Below we have some screenshots and video so you know what to expect from this awesome $4.99 game.

This is the first episode of what surely will be more to come, and here you get to enjoy the awesome character The Hulk. I’m looking forward to this level of perfection with an IronMan game myself. Marvel promises multiple updates, and episode-like release plans for multiple characters. Oh and the graphics and gameplay are epic. Simply put, you play as the Hulk and do multiple swipes to destroy — everything!

What you see above is us enjoying this awesome new Android game on the NVIDIA Tegra 3 powered Transformer Prime. Obviously the game plays great with tons of powerful devices but users with a Prime or the Nexus 7 will really get to enjoy this game to another level. All the details are crisp, vibrant, and stunning with excellent textures and lighting. Watching your enemies damage grow as you Hulk smash him to pieces is quite fun.

As you can see from our video above the gameplay is dead simple and looks amazing on a mobile device. Marvel and NVIDIA have teamed up to make this an awesome experience for Tegra devices, and it clearly shows. Currently the brand new game is listed at $4.99 which Marvel says is an introductory price. While that might seem high you’ll be happy to know more content is coming soon. This game is set to be a gift that keeps on giving. They called it "episodic content" updates, which will be free. We can expect awesome playable characters like Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man sometime next year. So while the price is high, in the end it will be very much worth it for gamers and Avengers fans. Get it now from the Google Play Store link above or at the NVIDIA TegraZone.

ac_avengersinitiative_tegra1 ac_avengersinitiative_tegra2 ac_avengersinitiative_tegra3 ac_avengersinitiative_tegra4 ac_avengersinitiative_tegra6 ac_avengersinitiative_tegra7 ac_avengersinitiative_tegra8 ac_avengersinitiative_tegra9 ac_avengersinitiative_tegra10 ac_avengersinitiative_tegra11 ac_avengersinitiative_tegra12 ac_avengersinitiative_tegra13 unnamed


Android gets a taste of Windows Phone 8 with WP8 Launcher

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 01:39 PM PST

Most of us already set with Android, but just in case you’ve been lured by Windows Phone 8′s touch-friendly live tiles, you can now have the best of both worlds. Say hello to WP8 Launcher, which adds a Windows 8-style user interface to your Android phone. This means that you don’t have to ditch your Android device and buy an all new Windows Phone 8 device to just to use that WP8 user interface.


There doesn’t seem to be many differences between WP7 Launcher and WP8 Launcher, but this new version offers more customization options when it comes to the size and color of the tiles. WP8 Launcher was discovered by Lifehacker reader Dave, who said he had been on the lookout for a launcher that brings the UI of Windows Phone to the open platform that is Android. The image you see above is his personal home screen.

As you can see, he made the tiles for Chrome, Facebook, and Gallery larger than the rest, as those are the apps he uses most. As an added bonus, with WP8 Launcher you can mount any widget to a live tile, with Dave putting things like Alarm Clock Plus and Simple Calendar Widget right there on his home screen. He also used 1Tap Quick Bar to make the non-app tiles you see in the picture.

It’s a handy little launcher if you happen to like the Windows Phone 8 UI, but Dave says that it’s still in beta so there may certainly be some bugs that need to be ironed out. It’s also gone missing from the Google Play Store, but those who are interested can download the APK from the XDA Developers Forum. What do you think? Are you going to install WP8 Launcher on your Android device, or are you good with what you’ve got for now?

Twitter client Plume gets additional support for Android 4.2

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 12:50 PM PST

With Android 4.2 now running on at least a few devices, it’s time for developers to update their apps to support the features found in the new version of the Android OS. One of the apps getting added Android 4.2 functionality today is the Twitter client Plume. Of all the fixes and features included with the latest update for Plume, definitely the biggest one is the addition of a lock screen widget for Android 4.2.


That, naturally, means that you can check Plume right from the lock screen, with no need to actually unlock your device and dive into the app. It’s definitely a cool feature, and we’re sure the many Plume users will be pleased with its addition (or at least those who are running Android 4.2 will). There’s more aside from the lock screen widget though, as the developers say they’ve also fixed “the widget context in Android 4.2.”

There have also been fixes applied to the Facebook timeline and the unread list, so if you’ve been having problems with either of those, there’s a chance that those issues have been squashed. Finally, the developers have improved the “picture cache coherence,” and have unlocked the Halloween notification sound so you can play it whenever you want. It’s a nifty little update and it’s available right now on the Google Play Store [download link].

This update to Plume is only the tip of the iceberg. We’re expecting many more developers to update their apps with increased support for Android 4.2, and it seems that we can count on a pretty steady stream of updates as Android 4.2 becomes more prominent in the Android community. Keep checking back here with us, as we’ll let you know once Android 4.2 updates go live for more popular apps!
Posted by at 12:41 AM 0 comments

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Android Authority

Android Authority

Want a Nexus 4? You can get in now from T-Mobile, says Google

Posted: 22 Nov 2012 03:12 AM PST

If you have been eyeing the sexy Nexus 4 this holiday season, there is both good news and bad news in this report. The good news is that, although you can still see a red message saying "Sold Out" on the Play Store Nexus 4 sales page, you can still own Google’s sweet new handset. Google is now directing customers to purchase the Nexus 4 from T-Mobile. The message reads "Special Offer from T-Mobile: Get Nexus 4 for only $199 after a $50 mail-in rebate. Requires a new 2-year contract on a qualifying plan."

Of course, the bad news is you’ll have to sign up for a lengthy T-Mobile contract. We say bad news, because for many, the selling point of the Nexus 4 is its contract-free availability at an amazingly low price.

Is the T-Mobile Nexus 4 still a sexy deal for you? Would you accept a two-year agreement or do you prefer to wait for a new batch to arrive on the Play Store?

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 with 4G LTE from Verizon is out for $499

Posted: 22 Nov 2012 02:51 AM PST

Finally, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1  4G LTE is available from Verizon.

The 10.1 HD screen tab is equipped with 1GB of RAM and is available at a retail price of $499, and by retail price we mean no contract. Verizon has eliminated contracts for tablets since the launch of its Share Everything plans. The Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 is a decent tablet at a reasonable price, with specs like 8GB internal storage, 4G LTE, 7000mAh battery and dual cameras.

It will be interesting to see how the Tab 2 10.1 competes against the plethora of similarly-priced mid-range tablets that were launched during the onset of this holiday season.

You can get your Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 4G LTE from Verizon today and can attach it to your shared data plan for $10 per month.

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Meizu MX2 pictured again, rumored starting price drops to just $402

Posted: 22 Nov 2012 02:43 AM PST

Though it's still not a name to be reckoned with in the global smartphone world, Meizu sure knows how to build the hype around its flagship devices. The MX2 phone is to be unveiled on November 27, but until then we have plenty of things to keep us warm and excited.

We heard about this big guy's mind-blowing specs a while ago, we saw its very stylish body pictured soon after and we heard about the very low starting price just a few days back. But the teasing is not over yet.

Not in the least, as Meizu has let a couple of fresh new pics slide while "dropping" the starting price once again. The new images are much higher quality than the first and confirm what we knew already – this is going to be a beau-ti-ful phone!

Unfortunately, these still show the MX2 exclusively from the front and turned off, so we're yet to see its sexy back or the Jelly Bean/Flyme sprinkled OS. As for what we can make of the pics, we can now undoubtedly say the MX2 will be thinner than its predecessor, with a high-quality glass covering the front.

There don't seem to be any physical buttons, which is definitely a good thing, while the front-facing camera might be housed at the phone's bottom.

Enough with MX2's looks, and let's talk pricing. According to new rumors, the phone might only start at 2,499 yuan, or around $402. That's 100 yuan less than the previously speculated price for the 16 GB version and a whopping 500 yuan less than the first rumored tag.

Of course, this is in no way official info, so grain of salt, okay? Also, don’t forget that the unveiling event is just around the corner, so tune in on Android Authority next Tuesday to find out everything about the Meizu MX2.

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Motorola Atrix HD soak test incoming, might be Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Posted: 22 Nov 2012 02:41 AM PST

When Moto updated its Jelly Bean rollout schedule a month ago, we saw that only the newer Droid devices have been promised to receive Android 4.1 before the end of 2012. Phones like the Atrix HD and the Photon Q 4G LTE are expected to get the software bump up as well, but no specific date was shared.

We're now hearing that Moto is planning to start a soak test for the Atrix HD, one that may bring Jelly Bean early to a select few. The soak test reportedly will be pushed out in the coming days for willing Atrix HD owners.

It hasn't been confirmed yet whether Motorola is preparing to roll out the Android 4.1 update for beta testers. But seeing that owners of the phone have been enjoying a leaked version of Jelly Bean for a while now, it's possible that the official JB is what folks can expect.

If the soak test went without a hitch, it should be followed by a wider software update roll out soon after. Will we see Jelly Bean running on the Motorola Atrix HD before the end of the world new year? We'll keep you posted.

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Pictures of white Asus PadFone 2 and PadFone Station surfaced

Posted: 22 Nov 2012 02:33 AM PST

It has been over a month since the Asus PadFone 2 has been officially unveiled. We know that the unique smartphone will come in black and white variants, but the latter variant has proven to be quite hard to spot in the wild. It doesn't help either that the PadFone 2 in white is nowhere to be seen on the company's website.

Thanks to the folks over at VR-Zone, we can now get a closer look of the white Asus PadFone 2, as it poses for the camera alongside the PadFone Station.

The shots confirm that we'll be getting an all-white handset, in the sense that there's none of that dual-tone look that some manufacturers sometimes go for. Can we expect the same from the tablet shell? Not quite. While you see that the back side of the PadFone Station is clad in white, the front part will have a black bezel.

For the uninitiated, the handset boasts a 4.7-inch Super IPS+ display (1,280 x 720 resolution), a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU, 2GB RAM, 16/32/64GB internal storage, 13MP rear camera, 1.2MP front-facing camera, 2,140mAh battery, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (upgradable to Android 4.1).

As for the tablet shell, it has a 10-inch IPS display with 1,280 x 800 resolution, 1MP front camera, and a 5,000mAh battery.

The smartphone and tablet combo will be available in select European and Asian markets before the end of the year. We still haven't heard from Asus of when it's planning to bring the PadFone 2 to America.

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Samsung set to shift over 60 million smartphones in Q4 2012

Posted: 22 Nov 2012 02:05 AM PST

Leaving all the courtroom drama to one side this has been a good year for Samsung. The company took the lead as the world's top smartphone manufacturer and it is not letting go. Back in Q1 of 2012 Samsung sold 42.2 million units. Now analysts from investment bank UBS are predicting sales of 61.5 million units in Q4. That figure will be driven by stellar sales of the popular Samsung Galaxy S3 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 2.

In Q3 Samsung sold around 55 million smartphones, and that included 18 million Galaxy S3 units. In fact the Galaxy S3 outsold the iPhone in Q3. UBS analysts predict a hefty jump again to over 60 million in Q4 and even suggest that the figure could go as high as 63 million. That's partly because the Galaxy S3 is still selling well, but also because of the Galaxy Note 2 which has shipped 3 million units in its first five weeks on sale.

Just like its predecessor the success of the Galaxy Note 2 has been something of a surprise and UBS upgraded its forecast from an expected 5 million sales in Q4 to 7 million. Analysts are also suggesting that the expected downturn in demand for the Galaxy S3 that they thought we would see when the iPhone 5 hit the market has not occurred. They expect sales of 15 million S3 units in Q4.

It looks like Samsung will be hanging on to that top spot for some time to come. We're already seeing rumors about the Galaxy S4, and you can bet Samsung won't be resting on its laurels.

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This Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for our industry’s remarkable rate of innovation

Posted: 22 Nov 2012 12:25 AM PST

Image Credit: The New Yorker

It’s easy to get jaded as a journalist, and I admit that I used to be that guy, the one who always complained about everything, but these past few years have given me an incredible amount of perspective. Remember the first Nexus device, the Nexus One? It started shipping in January 2010. Less than three years later, we have the Nexus 4. So what’s changed?

Starting with the processors, the SoC inside the Nexus One was made by Qualcomm, had a single core, and was clocked at 1 GHz. Less than three years later, a point I can not stress enough, the Nexus 4 bumped that up to four Qualcomm designed cores, each clocked at 1.5 GHz. Forgetting about the GPU improvements for a second, the increase in compute power alone should astound you. If it doesn’t, there’s something wrong with how you see the world.

Then there’s RAM. The Nexus One had 512 MB. The Nexus 4 on the other hand, it has 2 GB. Again, we’re seeing a quadrupling in the span of just three years. The laptop I bought in 2007 had 2 GB of RAM. When it died in 2010, I replaced it with a machine that came with 4 GB of RAM. When are smartphones going to come with 4 GB of RAM? When companies start shipping 64 bit ARM chips, something we should expect to see in 2014.

Next up is my favorite component of a smartphone, the screen. For me, if a device has a terrible screen, it doesn’t matter how good the rest of the hardware is, I’m not going to enjoy using it. Some people can put up with a subpar panel, but I’m not one of them. The Nexus One had a 3.7 inch 800 x 480 pixel display, which at the time was considered ultra high resolution. Now with the Nexus 4, the display is not only bigger at 4.7 inches, but it pushes a resolution of 1280 x 768. That’s 2.56x the number of pixels. The first 1080p smartphone hit the market this week; that has 5.4x as many pixels as the Nexus One. Let that sink in for a moment.

As for network performance, the Nexus One maxed out at 7.2 megabits per second using HSPA technology. The Nexus 4 does 42 megabit per second HSPA+, but the chip inside is capable of delivering 100 megabit per second LTE speeds. So in three years we not only quadrupled HSPA/HSPA+ performance, but we also saw the introduction a new wireless technology that’s an order of magnitude faster. If this stuff isn’t making your head explode, I question your geek credentials.

The younger Android Authority readers might not understand the point of this editorial, but the older audience will definitely appreciate where I’m coming from. It feels just like yesterday when I first tethered my feature phone to my Palm PDA and downloaded text while out and about. That was magical moment. Today we’re all watching HD videos on our phones while getting notifications in the background from the two or three social networks we use on a constant basis. Had you told me in 2007 that in half a decade there would be phones with quad core processors, 2 GB of RAM, and 1080p screens, I would have laughed in your face.

And yet, this is the world we live in. Which brings me to today’s holiday, Thanksgiving. Despite living on the other side of the Atlantic ocean, I still reserve a day of the year to be thankful for everything that I have. Today I’m thankful, humbled even, that companies are relentlessly innovating. People might be annoyed that the devices they buy get rendered “obsolete” in just a a year or two, but they’re missing the point.

Progress is relentless, and it’s an absolute joy to watch.

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Pay for Nexus 4 with Google Play Store balance? You can’t!

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 07:40 PM PST

LG Nexus 4

The Nexus 4 isn't available for purchase for the time being, but as soon as Google starts taking orders again, make sure you have an alternative payment method to Google Play Store credit. Because no matter how much credit you may have accumulated to make sure you have enough money to purchase a new Nexus device, Google won't take your money that way.

The Consumerist tells Michael’s story, a potential Nexus 4 buyer that was prevented from buying Nexus devices from the Play Store using his Google Play Store credit worth $350.

He tried placing orders for a 16GB Nexus 4 version, but was unsuccessful. He then tried to order a 32G Nexus 7 3G for his wife, but Google would not take money from his Play Store balance.

According to his research, Google isn't making it clear to consumers that Play Store credit can't be used to purchase the new Nexus 4:

Google Play Balance $350.06 – Unsupported Payment Method (entire line was greyed out)

After talking to the Play Store support team they told me that I would need to contact customer service for the gift cards at 1-855-466-4438. Before calling I looked at the terms of service I was able to find. They are as follows:

Devices on Google Play Terms of Sale: "To place an order, you must have a Google Wallet account." Every purchase I've made through the Play store has used Google Wallet for checkout, so how is the average consumer supposed to know the difference between a Play Store balance and Google Wallet?

Google Play Gift Card Terms of Service: "Google Play Gift Cards must be redeemed toward the purchase of eligible products on http://play.google.com." Has anyone been able to find a listing of which products are eligible? I spent half an hour looking this morning, and I have yet to find this information on their site.

When I called the customer service line for the gift cards they told me that this was a known issue that has been reported starting about five days ago and the terms of service state that you cannot buy a device using the Play Store balance. Really now? Per my research on the site there is nothing that specifically excludes devices. And the worst part of this call? They have no ability to refund me for the balance!

Then again maybe not that many buyers have as much balance left to actually buy devices, not that would be an excuse for Google’s failure to foresee such potential problems.

The company should at least try to fix issues such as this one. After all this particular customer does have a lot of cash at his disposal inside Google Play that he'd like to use to buy Google stuff. Furthermore, he made it clear that he wants to buy more than one Nexus device in the near future, so why not just take his money and ship his desired products?

Did anybody else experience anything similar? Let us know in the comments section!

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Samsung can’t just buy HTC to settle with Apple; but gets to see Apple-HTC deal details

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 06:47 PM PST

A few days ago we were somewhat surprised to hear that Apple and HTC decided to settle their squabble over patents out of courts, with both companies inking an undisclosed cross-licensing agreement that's valid at least ten years.

This gave Samsung ammunition for its own legal matters against Apple, with the company asking U.S. courts to grant it permission to see the details of the Apple vs HTC settlement, which could be important for the future Apple vs Samsung proceedings.

Apple and HTC agreed to show Samsung the settlement documents, at least a heavily redacted version that would not let Samsung lawyers in on various crucial details including royalty rates.

CNET now reports that Magistrate Judge Singh Grewal sided with Samsung on the matter, deciding to let its lawyers see the Apple-HTC documents. But only them:

Many third parties to this case have had their licensing agreements disclosed — without any redaction of financial terms — subject to an Attorneys-Eyes-Only designation because the confidential financial terms were clearly relevant to the dispute between Apple and Samsung. HTC is not entitled to special treatment, especially when it has recognized the general sufficiency of the protective order and the integrity of Samsung’s outside counsel.

That means the public will not be told, at least not officially, how much HTC is paying Apple for use of some of their patents on the handsets it produces – apparently it's not $6-8 as some stories suggested, which prompted HTC's denial via its CEO, Peter Chou.

But the public will get to look at a heavily redacted version of the Apple-HTC deal, which is available in the wild according to FOSS Patents. While the main details of the settlement are unavailable, the document does contain a "Change of Control" clause according to which the deal is void if a change of control occurs.

In other words, if a third party were to get control of over 50% of either company, the settlement would be void, at least until new negotiations take place.

Of the two, Apple is hardly in a position where it can be purchased by a different company, considering its market cap and the huge cash reserves it's sitting on. But HTC is not as lucky, with the Taiwanese company experiencing problems when it comes to meeting profit goals. It wouldn't surprise anyone if a giant were to decide to purchase HTC at some point in the future, with Samsung potentially being one of the giants.

However, that wouldn't mean that Samsung would inherit the Apple-HTC settlement deal, according to this particular "Change of Control" clause. Sure, Samsung did recently say that it's not considering settlement talks with Apple, but who knows what will happen in the future.

What we do know is that a new round of hearings is set to take place on December 6 in the first U.S. Apple vs Samsung lawsuit, the one that awarded Apple $1.05 billion in damages. At the same time, the ITC will have another look at Samsung patent claims against some Apple products, claims that were previously dismissed.

In other words, patent wars are still to stay, at least for the immediate future.

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Virgin Mobile Black Friday deals unveiled: Galaxy S2 4G and HTC EVO V 4G included

Posted: 21 Nov 2012 06:01 PM PST

We've seen a variety of Black Friday Android deals so far, and we have collected them, including the best available offers, in a handy guide to help you out when deciding what discounted Android gear to get this coming Friday.

But that doesn't mean all electronic retailers have shared their Black Friday 2012 plans well in advanced. CNET reports that Virgin Mobile announced on Wednesday its Black Friday deals. And while we're not looking at discounts on hot high-end flagship handsets, there still are some interesting offers you should look at:

  • $99.99 Samsung Galaxy Reverb – $100 in savings
  • $199 HTC EVO V 4G – $100 in savings
  • $299.99 Samsung Galaxy S2 4G – $70 in savings
  • $35/month Beyond Talk unlimited data and messaging plan for Android phones
  • 50% off Overdrive Pro 3G/4G mobile hotspot

What Android devices are you buying this Black Friday?

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